Knights of the Old Republic: Kindred Souls: Book 1
by Author of Scifi
Summary: When the Exile, Atton, T3 and HK are traveling together in the Unknown Regions after the events of KOTOR 2, they discover a link to a past best left uncovered. What will this link, now uncovered, mean for the galaxy? T - some violence in Chap 8
1. Prologue

Prologue: Consequences

Note: If you have played KOTOR 1 and KOTOR 2, there is no need to read the Prolouge. It introduces you to the basic plot of KOTOR 1 and 2.

The distant stars glittered eerily against the large window of the great star cruiser _Leviathan_. Dark Lord Revan had ordered his scant crew off the bridge so he could meditate. He had to consider deeply the choice he was about to make. He entered into a state where he could feel the very contours of the Force around him, where he could feel the life of his crew and the inorganic coldness of the ship and the ship's components. These are the moments Revan lived for. Dark Lord, pah... Revan snorted at the title he had been given. He wasn't a conqueror, but a savior.

He meditated on the events that had made him 'Dark Lord Revan'. Ah, he remembered the holocast so clearly, could see every slight movement the hologram made as it explained the situation.

"The Mandalorians have moved Coreward now, and they are bombing more and more worlds. How long can you Jedi sit complacently?! Is it your way to let innocents be slaughtered?!" The one called Atton Rand ranted angrily over the holocast. "Two more worlds have fallen to those beasts in the last week! The Republic's armies alone can't handle this! How long..." By this time Revan had already started formulating... How could he gain a large enough following to destroy these animals, these Mandalorians who supposedly fought for 'honor'?

He had managed to gather a following to destroy the animals, but it had taken long, too long. He had had to be too stealthy, too subtle for the kind of quick action required when innocents were being killed by the thousands, the millions, the thousands of millions. At least the foolish Jedi Council knew nothing of his plans until he and his followers rose up with him to leave, proclaiming their intents even as they took to the great Republic ships. During that period (what he called the Great Commission) over ten thousand Jedi Knights joined Revan, along with the twenty thousand strong he had subtly and gradually commissioned, not only from Dantooine, but also from Coruscant, whom he had recruited when he should have been doing other missions.

Finally, he could meet the Mandalorians in battle.

That he did, and he defeated them. Afterwards, Revan, the soldiers under his command, and his loyal Jedi followed him into the depths of space. Revan had found what he was looking for.... the Star Forge. A massive factory built by an advanced, extinct species that built unlimited ships. It gleaned excess dark side power from the one who claimed it, and used it to power the great Forge, somehow transforming that energy into tangible, material objects, such as great but curious looking ships. Thus, it had an unlimited supply of ships.

So Revan came back as a conqueror. He swept aside all resistance easily, but then.... he was captured by the Jedi Council.

That those fools managed to capture him was a fluke of luck. His apprentice, Malak, afraid to actually stand before him and claim title of Dark Lord, fired on his ship, attempting to kill his master and the Jedi. However, the Jedi managed to escape with Revan, and they wiped his memory... gave him a new identity.

The Jedi tried to nurture him, turn him into something he was not: a pawn in their game to assert domination through politics and not brute force. When he finally confronted Malak, however, Malak revealed his identity. After this, a powerful Jedi named Bastila sacrificed herself to save Revan. When Revan escaped, he gladly asserted his new role as Dark Lord and began a quest of revenge.

At least, that's how it appeared to everyone else: a simple quest for revenge. Yes, Revan wanted revenge, but his true motivation was much different.

When he had been Dark Lord, he had been fairly subtle in his conquering of the galaxy. He had eliminated key leaders who's role he could replace, bombed only worlds that posed a strategic challenge, and tried to be as under-zealous as possible when it came to actually killing. Why? He wasn't _really _a Sith. Ha!, he thought. Sith.... Sith are fools. Sith are creatures who are consumed by the Dark Side, who _are _the Dark Side, and people adopted it to mean a Jedi who left the Order and went about on his own agenda. How much more false could such a definition be? Sith was a species. 'Sith' loved death, hate, destruction, but Revan was compassionate, and understood the importance of life. He had to conquer the galaxy though, because the galaxy needed to be united under one strong hand because of impending threats that only he knew about: the Wounds and the True Sith, the species Sith.

His apprentice, however, knew none of this. If the Sith ideal was something that could truly be embodied, then Malak fit the pattern. When he took the mantle of Dark Lord, he had no worries about galactic stability... all he wanted was people to fear him. The fool assumed fear beget respect, and thus he could rule the galaxy by brute force and slaughter. Thus, he was over-zealous in his wanton slaughter. He bombed worlds for practically no reason whatsoever except that he just didn't like that planet where it was. Malak was a fool, a barbarian, a bumbling oaf who couldn't possibly understand the subtlety involved with uniting (not necessarily 'conquering') a galaxy. He needed to be eliminated so that he wouldn't cause more damage.

By the time Revan finally made it to the Star Forge on the fringes of space and killed his stupid apprentice (for he would _always_ be the apprentice, no matter how deluded he or anyone else happened to be), the damage had been done. He had attempted to unite a force at Korrriban, but in the confusion factions arose, and these factions destroyed themselves. Revan left Korriban on the ship _Leviathan _with some of his old companions (those who had accompanied him after his memory had been erased). And then.... he found himself on the bridge of the _Leviathan, _mediating.

He stood and realized that now was the time to leave. Once more he would seek solitude. He walked through the halls of the large ship into the docking bay, where he jumped into a small, specially programmed fighter and flew into space, leaving his crew at the edge of space.


	2. Chapter 1: Drifting

Chapter 1: Drifting

"What is it, T3M4?"

The droid beeped condescendingly. T3 droids like this model had been programmed to talk in a peculiar series of beeps to stop enemies from extracting information from them. You can't extract what you can't understand!

"Of course I know where I'm going!"  
"Bee-p beep dwooooo."

"I know it's deep space! I lived here for a while after I was exiled from the Jedi Order, remember?" The female speaker, known as the Exile, had joined Revan when he went to the Mandalorian Wars but was the only one to come back to the Council when Revan went to the Star Forge. She had been exiled, not because of her sins, as she had first thought, but because she was a wound in the Force. During the final, great battle of the Mandalorian Wars, Malachor V, a great machine called the Mass Shadow Generator killed an immense amount of Mandalorians and Jedi alike. Since the Exile (her name is Krystal Wan), through some peculiar twist of fate, made Force bonds with people disturbingly easily, the deaths of the people on Malachor killed her many times over. She severed herself from the Force in a desperate act of preservation and went to the Council, where she was exiled. Later, however, she came back into Republic space and met Kreia, an old, sagacious and completely twisted Dark Lord, although her identity remained unknown to the Exile until much later. The Exile acquired other friends, who traveled with her throughout space in the _Ebon Hawk, _and went in search of the Jedi Masters who had exiled her so she could find out the truth. When all the Masters (plus the Exile) reunited on the pastoral planet Dantooine, the Masters revealed what the Exile really was... a Wound in the Force that would literally siphon life and will from her companions, whether she wanted to or not.

After this revelation, Kreia killed the Masters, assumed the role of Darth Traya, and went to Malachor, where the Exile would have to face herself once and for all. After killing Traya and activating the Mass Shadow Generator once more to destroy Malachor ultimately (for that place was a Wound as she was), she allowed her friends to leave her so that they might be preserved... except her droids: HK47, an amusing, deadly assassin droid who had originally been made for Revan but through some peculiar circumstances ended up in the _Ebon Hawk _(for Revan had been in possession of the _'Hawk_ for a time) and T3M4, a small, compact, and, let's face it, cute droid.

Then there was the other who would not leave under any circumstances.... Atton Rand.

"Dwoooooo deep."

"Yeah, yeah, stop complaining T3! I'll find a reasonable mechanic to fix that malfunctioning protocol engine next time we land."  
"Brrrr beep do bee boop?"  
"Believe me, there are a lot more inhabited planets outside of the Republic than you know."

"Hey, how's it goin'?" The unmistakable, joking, and amiable (at least, it was amiable then) voice of Atton ended the rather interesting dialogue between organic and beeping droid.

"It's going, Atton," said Krystal warmly. Atton raised his left eyebrow. "Na, I never would have guessed that it's going. Really, what are we doing out here, out of Republic space?" His voice had a permanent mocking lilt, or was it more like a smug lilt? Yet it was amiable at the same time, and.... Krystal admitted reluctantly, charming.

"You scared?" teased Krystal.

"No way! If I can survive looking at the witch for, oh, six months, I can stand a little isolation."

Krystal was silent at the mention of Kreia, or rather, Darth Traya, as she had always truly been.

"What, still hung up on that old scow?"

"Not hung up necessarily, it's just.... some of her teachings still make me wonder."

"Look, she's a Sith through and through. A subtle one, I'll admit, but a Sith nonetheless. And a remarkably manipulative one at that. So don't think about her anymore. You'll give yourself a headache. More importantly, _I'll _get a headache from listening to your not-so-silent deliberations."

"Oh Atton..."

"So, when are we getting to the next planet with a serviceable landing pad? That will dictate whether it's time for me to go to sleep or not."

"Two hours, most likely."

"Hm... I'll go catch some shut eye then. Hey...." his voice adopted a concerned tone, "can't that T3 droid fly the ship? Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Mmmmhm.... You have the east cabin, I have the west."

"Hey, you know, Krystal," Krystal turned toward Atton, " I really don't want to stay in the same room that that crone had stayed in. Her essence might cause me to go insane."

"More accurately, more so," hissed Krystal.

"Eh?" asked Atton, who hadn't heard what Krystal had said.

"Nothing. And sure. We don't want the big, bad Atton losing sleep for fear of ghosts hanging over his head at night."

"No, we don't at that. Then who's going to cover your backside?"

"'Cover my backside'?" asked Krystal, tipping her head.

"Um... well I mean, you know, not like _that..."_

"Save it, Atton. Go rest your tender head. Ha, I remember when you complained about not even having any quarters...." By then Atton had left and Krystal reflected on how disturbingly happy she was. She was on the edge of civilization and was traveling into space where humans were as rare as desert dwelling krayt dragons in a jungle. The only company she had was a bloodthirsty, odd droid, a beeping trash can, and a... a fool. She didn't know what her future was going to be, and had a troubled past to torment her. Yet... her heart was as light as a bird floating high above the peaceful plains of Dantooine. Why was this?

The answer was simple. All questions she had ever had about herself, the Force, or the galaxy as a whole had been answered. Yes, of course, there were the trivial questions that were present because of mere curiosity, not necessity, but those questions were always present and their presence disturbed her as much as a fly would disturb a grazing Bantha. Questions that were essential to her being, such as 'why was I really exiled' had been answered. Thus, she had no chains to pull on her mind. Could she be described as 'blissful'? No. She had other concerns, but these merely applied to her life, and hers alone, not the galaxy, the Order, or any other creature... except her droids and... him.

Once more Krystal found herself wondering about Atton. Atton knew what she was, knew the danger she posed, yet he stayed with her. Why? Sure, she knew because of her unique bonding talent (or perhaps it was a curse) she made bonds easily, and because of this she was a natural, motivation speaker and an amazing leader, convincing people to do her will even if that person didn't want to do it, but she had bade him and the others to leave. Why did _he _alone stay with her (the droids, inorganic, didn't count)?

She kept coming to a conclusion that irked her and made her want to drop Atton off at some asteroid. How could she, though?

She sighed and leaned back in the cockpit chair. "T3, could you take care of the ship?"  
"Beeeeep, beep boo dweet."

"Thanks."

She stood up and walked down the hall that connected the cockpit to the main area, a relatively large space. In the middle was a large holo-map of Republic space. Off to the north-west was a small compartment that she had originally found HK in. However, now he stood next to the holo-map, his head ever moving, his blaster rifle ever ready to fire.

The _Hawk_ was so empty, now that her friends were gone, and not less than a little creepy. The brown, rusted metal walls didn't reflect light well and caused the ship to have a dim, shadowy appearance.

"Hello, HK47."

"Statement: HK47 is ready to serve, Master. Annoyed Statement: Yes, ready to serve, like any other mundane protocol droid..."

"Save it, HK. I don't want to listen to your antics right now."

"Definition: Antics – amusing, frivolous, or eccentric behavior. Antics, Master? I?! I am HK47, a highly skilled assassin droid who never indulges in such 'antics'! Unless you consider a constant desire to blast hostiles 'antics'? In which case...."

"Save it, HK! Sign off."

"Observation: Master, I can't allow you to maintain this illusion that I am eccentric or frivolous!"

"HK, it's one misplaced word. Let it go, and _sign off_."

"Resignation: Very well, Master, but I assure you..."

"Sign off!!" yelled Krystal with so much force that HK shut off without any further commentary. Thank the Force!

She started walking to her intended destination. She didn't really know why she was going there, she just felt she should.

"Well well, isn't this special? Forget your cabin is on the east side? Or are you a little creeped out by that witch's presence? Or...." he raised both his eyebrows.

"Or....?" said Krystal passively.

"Um.... never mind."  
"I have some things I want to ask you."

"Um, OK. Ask away." He fingered his lightsaber. "I still can't believe I was Force Sensitive all this time."

Atton had been a veteran in the Mandalorian and the Jedi Civil Wars. When Revan and Malak betrayed the Republic, he followed them. He was on a special unit that was meant to capture or kill Jedi. However, one of the Jedi he encountered told him that Revan had fallen, what Revan was doing to the captured Jedi... torturing them, making them fall. Atton knew that, but when the Jedi then told Atton he was Force Sensitive and that same fate would await him if he stayed with Revan. Atton was unbelieving until the Jedi showed him the Force. Angered, he killed her, but in the end, he realized he had killed her because he loved her. She would have suffered a lot more at the hands of Revan.

Moved by her words, he left Revan and went to Nar Shadaa. Since many other refugees sought shelter on that same industrialized moon, no one looked at him suspiciously. He and the Exile met up at a mining facility called Peragaus. They had been traveling together (with other companions) since that time about eight months ago.

He hadn't told Krystal this very easily though. He didn't want Krystal to think less of him or to dislike him for his deeds. His brash, cocky manner hid his deeper, turmoiled emotions. In the end, when Krystal gained influence over him, he told Krystal everything. At the conclusion of his tale, Krystal offered to show him the Force again. He had accepted the offer. Now he was a Jedi Sentinel, who was surprisingly strong in the Force.

"I should have known, but I never guessed, Atton," said Krystal absent-mindedly.

"Well, what about those questions?"  
"Why did you choose to stay with me when all the others left?"

He stared at me and said, "Why does it really matter?" Krystal looked hard at him. His brown hair almost covered his brown eyes. He had an almost square-like face, yet was ruggedly handsome. He wore brown breeches, a tan button-up shirt with a rough, large leather scarf that draped to his stomach.

"Why doesn't it?" Krystal countered.

"Hey, you can't counter a question with a question!"

"Just did."  
"You're insatiable, you know that?"  
"You trusted me before, trusted me enough to make you a Jedi. Why don't you trust me now?"  
"It's not that I don't trust, it's just...."

"What?"  
"I just feel I need to stay with you, protect you, because I get a bad feeling that you're going to run into trouble and..." he avoided the phrase 'cover your backside' and improvised, "I feel you'll need someone to help you."

"I have two capable droids to help me."

"Ha! A beeping trash compactor and a quirky malfunctioning bloodthirsty droid who might turn on you as soon as the enemy. Not what I'd call 'capable'."

"What do you call capable? You?" Krystal quipped.

"Yeah!" said Atton a bit too quickly.

"Pfft..."  
"Huh? What?" asked Atton.

"Never mind.... look, I'm going to get some sleep. You should too."

"Good idea," he said. "Anyway, nothing like some sleep to get you ready to thwart death, huh?"

"What makes you think we'll have to thwart death?"  
"Because we're alive."


	3. Chapter 2: Incompetence

Chapter 2: Incompetence

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeep!"

"By the Force, what...!" Krystal leaped up from her bunk and banged her head on the bunk above her. "Sith's blood!" she yelled as she rubbed the bloody spot on her head. She grabbed her favorite lightsaber, the one that had a specialized crystal in it that reflected her. She found the crystal in the caves of Dantooine. This crystal absorbed excess Force power from her and used it to make her lightsaber more deadly. It also had a Quarite crystal, which made the blade burn hotter and made it keener.

She activated her saber and rolled out of the bed, using the Force to look for organics. All this happened in a few seconds. Her Jedi robe draped over her and made her look rather sinister, what with the green blue of her lightsaber reflecting off of her. She found no organics in the vicinity, but she couldn't detect droids without really concentrating. She leapt up and assumed a defensive position. She looked down and saw...

"T3, couldn't you have found a gentler way to wake me up?"

"Dwooooooooo."

"Find that funny, do you?"  
"Beep deet."

"Did you wake Atton?"  
"Yeah he did, the little trash compacter. I nearly blasted him. Unfortunately, I 'nearly' blasted him."

"We can still probably use him,"  
"Dwoo!! Deep beep!!"  
"Don't worry T3. I'm not going to blast you. Although," Krystal added absent-mindedly, "I might use my lightsaber."

"Do beep beep, dwoo beep deeee beee beep."

"We've landed? Where?"  
"Beep doo."  
"Very cute. A landing pad. Name of the planet?"  
"Do, dee doo boop beep beep dwoo."

"No name, but very rural, almost like Dantooine," Krystal translated for Atton. Although he had served in the Mandalorian Wars, he never bothered to learn the language of T-units.

"Why 'almost'?" asked Atton with a hint of worry in voice.

"Dwoo beep deet."

"Yes, I felt them. However, I didn't think they would make it so apparent as to build a temple and dress such.  
"What? What did he say?"

"He said that there is a small contingent of Jedi in Jedi robes near a small temple about a mile away. He saw it through the _'Hawk's _sensors when he was landing."

"Jedi, huh? What would they be doing here beyond Republic space?"

"Maybe these are the remnants of Revan's followers. Maybe they wanted to escape the Jedi Civil War. I don't know." Krystal turned to the short droid. "Why here, T3?"

"Beed ep be doo boop."

"It is the closest of the planets that are programmed into your data logs that are outside of Republic space?"

"Beep."

"Why would this planet, of all planets out of Republic space, be in his data logs? The planet that happens to have Jedi on it," queried Krystal.

"I don't know. Ask him yourself. He doesn't like me," Atton quipped.

"Maybe because your dislike of him is so apparent. Or maybe because you're a jerk all-around. T3, why is this planet in your logs?"  
"Bee-dee-beep."

"He doesn't know."

"Well, no use hanging around here. I get the feeling we _need _to be here." He shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that."

"Me neither. Did you just say something profound?" Krystal asked incredulously."Um.... no, not really. I'm not that Jedi-ish yet. Just stating a fact. And God forbid that I ever start to sound like Kreia!"

"I doubt you ever would, Atton."

"Thanks. I guess." He eyed Krystal suspiciously. "Wait a minute, what did you mean by that?"  
"Nothing," Krystal said. She winked and said, "Ready your lightsaber. I certainly don't want to go into this situation with a bad lightsaber." Lightsabers needed constant care and maintenance for the to work properly. The crystal had to be polished, the energy cell had to be cleaned, the hilt had to be smeared with a special wax for grip.... the list went on and on.

"Already did," he said proudly. "I figured you'd ask me about it sometime soon."

"Are you gaining precognitive abilities?" asked Krystal.

"Hope not. Take all the fun out of almost getting killed over and over again."

"That it would. Still, at least then we can make sure it's always 'almost'."

Krystal raised her head and tilted it, allowing the fresh breeze to tickle her face. She closed her eyes and for one moment, and she thought she was back on Dantooine, training, before the Mandalorian Wars, Revan, Malachor V... before things got complicated. When she opened her eyes she realized what she was imagining was not so, mostly because of Atton's presence. He had his hands on his hips and was scouting the area. "Wow, pretty peaceful for somewhere way out here. Normally, you hear about chaos outside of Republic space. They don't even seem very disturbed at our presence. Those Jedi over there haven't even taken any interest in us."

"Believe me, they're checking us out. They certainly know we're Force sensitive by now. Except you, maybe, since you're an expert at protecting your mind."

"Um, Krystal, it might be a good idea to start playing Pazaak in your head." Pazaak was a popular card game. Atton, however, figured out during his time in the Jedi Civil Wars that playing Pazaak in your head or similar activities made it difficult for Jedi to read your mind, or glean information from it. That was why he was so good at resisting Force powers.

"Already am," said Krystal. She drew her green lightsaber, but didn't activate it. She straightened her Jedi Master robe and strutted out in front of Atton. "Atton, keep your lightsaber hidden for now. All Jedi I see here are wearing Jedi robes... if they're all traditionalists they might be offended at you wielding a lightsaber without you being garbed in Jedi robes."

"Got it," he stated. He put his saber in a special cut section in his scarf and drew a blaster instead.

"You know a blaster won't do a lot of good."

"I feel better with a weapon in my hand. It's how I've traveled most of my life anyway."

"Let's move."

Mysteriously, no one came to meet them, threaten them, or interrogate them. Any people that they got remotely close to moved away quickly. Some of the people gave Atton and Krystal glares as they walked along the dirt road, but none showed any signs of extreme aggression.

"Sister, where do you hail from?" asked a particularly devout looking Jedi. He had a hood over his head, but she could see that his face was relatively young. He completely ignored Atton.

"I hail from Republic space," Krystal explained.

"Republic space? _You're from the Republic?!"_ he roared. The ten Jedi who had been milling around approached Krystal and Atton.

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it people. We came in here in peace and expect to leave in one.... piece, that is." Atton shuffled backwards. He looked meaningfully at Krystal. The message in his eyes was clear. _Can I _please _draw my lightsaber? _Krystal's eyes portrayed an equally clear message: _Unless you want to be carved into bantha fodder._

"We came from Republic space, yes," Krystal said carefully. She wished she hadn't told them where she 'hailed from', but there was no taking back her words.

"I knew they'd come for us! Men, attack!" he asked angrily.

"Wait, wait, wait, we didn't come for anybody! What do you mean?" asked Atton. He was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, looking like a caged, angry tiger.

"You mean.... you're _not _from the Jedi Council?"  
"No. What, have you been living under a rock..."

"Atton!" snapped Krystal. It wouldn't do to offend these people. "Yes, we do come from the Republic, but no, we don't come from the Jedi Council. The Jedi were almost eradicated after the Jedi Civil War."

"What? 'Jedi Civil War'?"  
"When Revan came back with his followers and started a crusade to unify, conquer, whatever you may call it, the galaxy? You know, the largest war since Exar Kun rose to power?" Atton spoke with exasperation. Obviously, these people had been living under very big rocks.

"Atton...." Krystal warned as calmly as possible.

"But.... Only Malak was involved with that business."  
"No, Revan came back to the Republic. Malak betrayed Revan, who had been attempting, and succeeding, to conquer the galaxy."

"Revan never went back to the Republic! He went into deep, dangerous space and he left us, his loyal Jedi here to wait for him until he came back. He never came back." He glared at them. "Although... hm. Two people, one a non-Jedi, could not do any damage to our society. Thus, I will allow you to speak to our leader. He can tell you what transpired here."

"I don't need someone to tell me what happened. Revan _came back, _Revan began to conquer the galaxy, was usurped by Malak, killed Malak, attempted to unite some Sith on Korriban, then disappeared. I don't _need _your leader to tell me what happened!"

"You will watch your tone, fool, or I will have ten Jedi upon you and your companion in seconds! And then.... you're a fool if you think you can survive. You _will _come to see our leader, else I shall force you to. Believe me, that alternative is quite... unpleasant."

"Why do you want me to see your leader so badly, huh?"

"First, to glean information from your minds and to determine your intentions, and second, to educate you on the present happenings in the galaxy if you prove to not be a threat."

Krystal wondered briefly at the sudden change of pace. Perhaps she shouldn't have been worried about it, but this fellow, almost out of the blue, ordered them to come with him to see their leader, and had said so at a strangely random time. That fact disturbed Krystal. Maybe she was a pessimist, but who wouldn't be if they had gone through what Krystal had gone through?

"Atton! Shut up and do as he says." Krystal attempted to make Atton be quiet.

"No way, Krystal! These people..." Atton never had the chance to finish his sentence. A brawny Jedi (who has ever seen a brawny Jedi...?) wrapped his arm around Atton's neck just long enough to incapacitate him. Krystal yelped and activated her lightsaber right. She lunged forward, attempting to injure, not kill. Then that same arm wrapped around her neck. She kicked. She struggled. She gasped, but no air rushed into her burning lungs. The faces of the sneering Jedi grew dimmer and dimmer, until everything was black.


	4. Chapter 3: Haunting

Chapter 3: Haunting

'_A coward dies many times. The valiant die but once.'_

A quote from an ancient play raced through Krystal's mind while she was in a state of semi-consciousness. Surely, there was some truth in that statement, since it was not originally meant to referri to the literal, but if applied to the physical world it holds no truth. Krystal felt as if she was dying again... her mind, on the verge of consciousness but yet not conscious, like a starving man tied to a stake just out of reach from a great banquet, conjured up some of her strongest feelings. These feelings, enhanced with the Force, became full scale visions that tormented Krystal's subconscious.

_'The Generator is ready, General. We just need your word....'_

_'I have never witnessed such destruction in my life....'_

_'I will forever regret what I did that day....'_

The words of Bao-Dur, a tech during the Mandalorian Wars and one of Krystal's companions when she returned to Republic space after her exile (they had been reunited by an immense coincidence that could only be attributed to the Force), came back to her, probably because those simple sentences summed up a lot of Krystal's feelings on the matter of the slaughter at Malachor V. Those quotes didn't cover the horrible feeling of _death _that had overcome her that horrid day, though. She wasn't a coward, but she had died many times that day.

The words of the tech became embodied with scenes, action.

_The hum of the great Generator could be felt from space. The amount energy needed to produce that kind of crushing gravity, the type of gravity made to crush the life out of a person, was immense...._

_'Revan, are you sure about this...'_

_'Oh yes, quite sure. The death of these Mandalorians will halt the war and practically eradicate their race. The death of some of our own men is a necessary price. Do not think me cruel, Krystal....'_

_Searing pain shot through her. She felt as if she herself was in Malachor V. She could feel the pain, the fear, of a portion of the people on the planet. She howled with agony. Techs, soldiers, and Jedi alike stood over her, horror twisting their faces into grotesque, unrecognizable forms in Krystal's hazy mind. Krystal yelled once more, a bloodcurdling yell that caused the spectators to instinctively recoil. Then... the pain was gone, but it felt as if all of her senses were deadened. It was as if she had been staring into the heart of a sun, and then having a big black cloth smother her. She panted and stood. She was weak and her joints shook. Her muscles ached as if she had just been pulled apart and glued haphazardly back together. The war was over... finally over.... but she couldn't stay with Revan... she couldn't. _

_Where else could she go, though?_

"....stal. Krystaaal. Krystal. Damnit, wake up Krystal!"

"Wha....?!" Krystal sat up rapidly. She rubbed her eyes and put both hands in the small of her back and stretched back into a shallow U shape.

"Krystal, you OK?" When Krystal looked into the open, concerned face of Atton, she remembered why she had let him come with her in the first place...

"I'm.... fine," she said, not wanting to think about the painful memories that had raged through her subconscious.

"No, you're not," insisted Atton. You were thrashing around in your sleep like someone had drugged you with Hutt'en Weed from Nal Hutta. How long were you awake after I got... strangled?" His voice sounded strained as he admitted he had been so easily overwhelmed.

" A few seconds, and I'm fine!" Her voice became louder and she became genuinely annoyed with Atton. Then she fell back onto... a bed?... She hadn't taken the time to look at her surroundings when she had wakened. Then she mentally reprimanded herself for getting annoyed at Atton for being concerned.

"No, you're _not_," he said with a tad more vehemence.

"I.... I just had a bad dream."

"A bad dream? Life is a bad dream, and I don't see you thrashing around during that."

"I relived some very intense memories, OK? Can we please not talk about it?"

"Fine. If you ever feel like talking though..." he tilted his head slightly to the right.

"I'll drop everything and rush to find you." Krystal attempted to be light hearted, but her churning stomach reminded her that she wasn't in a very chirpy mood.

"Just don't drop anything too heavy, alright," Atton said, continuing the façade.

The door to the dim room opened and the same brawny Jedi who had incapacitated them stepped into the room. "Now," he said with a voice like thunder that happened to have a weird accent, "perhaps you'll be a bit more cooperative?"

"I'll come peacefully," replied Krystal as passively as possible. Atton nodded but kept his mouth shut.

For once.

"Good. Follow me, and no funny stuff," he warned.

As they walked, Atton couldn't help but whisper, "There was no funny stuff the first time around, moron."

A glare from their escort and a raised fist from the same being caused Atton to duck behind Krystal, who rolled her eyes conspicuously.


	5. Chapter 4: Familiarity

Chapter 4: Familiarity

"Hey, I have a bruise there!"

Their escort unceremoniously shoved them into a room, supposedly the 'throne room'.

The throne room was little more than a relatively long hall with a throne at the end of it. The hall was padded with a soft, green carpet that felt like clipped grass that had been allowed to warm. The walls were lined with expertly painted murals that portrayed all that embodied the mental realm of the universe using scenes from real, physical life. Evil and good were portrayed by Sith and Jedi, intertwined in fierce, deadly, but beautiful combat. Pain and happiness were contrasted: famines and times of plenty were represented: the murals became increasingly complicated. Krystal had to force her eyes away from the spectacular murals to the throne, or more precisely the man sitting on the throne.

Krystal, enraptured by the murals, hadn't felt the prodding of her escort. "Move along, Jedi!"

Krystal started angrily, then walked down the hall. The harsh light coming from the plasma lights reflected off the murals, and to Krystal it seemed like she was walking on a road that ended at heaven.

The man who sat on the simple throne emanated of strength. He reminded Krystal of Revan, but this man clearly was not Revan. With Revan, Krystal could feel a presence about him, a darkness that wasn't quite of the Dark Side. This man didn't have anything remotely like that around him. In fact, he felt... neutral. It was rare to find neutral Jedi. Still, there was the sense of lightness around him.

His appearance belied the feeling that Krystal was getting from him. He had sharp brown eyes that were haughty and dominating. His gleaming red hair complimented his sharp eyes well. Since the man was leaning to the side, the hair on the left side of his head was hanging in the air, while the hair on the right side of his head hung behind his shoulder. His rough, callused hands rested loosely on the throne's arms. His Jedi robe was slightly more adorned than normal. Red and black streaks broke up the drab brown and made him look almost like a Sith Lord. However, his face was normal, and the common signs of a dark side sentient: gray pallor, distinct veins on the face, neck and chest, faded hair: were not present on him. His boots had spikes attached to the back. An interesting feature that Krystal had never seen before. They added to the menacing, haughty air this man carried around him.

"You may leave us, Nalgor," he said with a voice that was in the medium pitch range.

Our escort bowed his head and said, "As you wish, my lord."

When he left Krystal turned to the Jedi. He had stood up and was smoothing out his Jedi robe. This man actually reminded Krystal a lot of Revan, despite his appearance and his Force aura. He moved the same and had that same.... feel. He could have been Revan's son, but yet.... he wasn't Revan. It was very strange.

"My lord? What are you, a Sith Lord?" Atton mocked the Jedi.

_Sith blood, can't he stop for one second? _ Krystal was tempted to run an activated lightsaber through Atton's skull, but she resisted the urge. This Jedi would probably do that for her anyway. She sensed he was strong... very strong.

"Sith Lord? Maybe I am," he said. He tilted his head and smiled. He activated his lightsaber. It was orange.

_Orange? A strange color, rare too. It only happens when a red crystal fuses with black rock.... it's only wielded by Sith..._

The reply was so unexpected Atton was thrown off balance (mentally) for a second. Krystal could feel his aura shift slightly. He also reached for the hidden saber in his scarf.

_If I can sense his aura, this stranger probably can too..._

As if to verify Krystal's words, he said, "You don't have to worry about me caring that you're a Jedi out of robe. I assume that's why you didn't reveal yourself but your companion did. Am I right?" His aura emanated an in-control attitude.... it was so strong I wanted to attack him just to throw off his feeling of security, if just for one second....

Atton, having no reason to conceal it any longer, drew his lightsaber and activated it. "Yeah, you're right. So maybe you'll show me a bit more respect?"  
The man seemed amused instead of offended. "What have I done to disrespect you?"  
"What do you mean, what have you done? You've...." Atton stopped. What had he done? Being who he was, a haughty aristocratic Jedi, wasn't offensive. Was he supposed to change who he was to avoid offending someone? And is sarcasm considered offensive? If so, then Atton would be admitting he had been offensive and meriting the stranger to act accordingly. The stranger had verbally trapped Atton... Krystal wished fervently that she could do that.

Atton seethed, but he was silent. Once again Krystal was impressed by the stranger's way with words. If he was a lawyer, he would be one of the richest humans in the galaxy.  
"Now, can we put an end to hostility and talk like reasonable people?" The strangers voice was seductively smooth.

"Sounds good to me," Krystal said.

"That makes one of us," Atton said. He still hadn't de-activated his lightsaber.

Unfortunately.

The saber was yanked out of Atton's hand by an invisible Force. Next thing Atton knew his lightsaber was staring at him... and it didn't look friendly.

The stranger hadn't moved except for his lips, which were curved slightly upwards.

"Now, if you move, I'll have this lightsaber ram through your skull and the small amount of content in said skull. However, if you promise by the Force to be peaceful unless attacked, I will deactivate your saber and give it to you. Of course, that promise will mean that if you break your oath, I will have valid reason to kill you. Otherwise, you shall not be harmed. Agreed?"  
"Agreed," Atton said in a voice higher than his normal. In saying that one word, he swore that he would do everything that the stranger had outlined. When the stranger replied with 'agreed', he bound himself similarly.

True to the stranger's word, the lightsaber deactivated and fell to Atton's feet. The stranger hadn't moved from his spot throughout the whole confrontation. Krystal had no doubt that the stranger could easily dispatch them if he so chose. Atton, hopefully, knew this too.

"_Now _can we please talk like civilized people?"

"Sure, why not?" resigned Atton.


	6. Chapter 5: Betrayal

Chapter 5: Betrayal

Sorry it took longer than normal, the first draft of Chapter 5 was pretty sloppy, I had to write it over again.

"Now then, I hear that you think Revan came back to the Republic as a conquering force."

"I don't think, I know," said Atton, but his voice was considerably more polite than it had previously been.

"Now now, my friend, no need to get angry. Is that the way of a Jedi?" He seemed amused by his statement. "I know what happened in the galaxy, my friend. I don't need you to tell me so."

"I'll tell you...."

"I know Revan came back as a conquering force. I know Malak betrayed him. I know Revan killed Malak, attempted to reunite the shattered factions of his army, then fled to the Unknown Regions after his attempts failed due to the stupidity and pride of those under him."

"If you know, why don't your people know?" Krystal spoke now.

"They would, if they wished. The Jedi and soldiers who fought with Revan were very loyal to the Republic. The only reason that most of those Jedi and soldiers fought with him against the Republic is because he convinced them it was the only way to save it. The Jedi here, though, had no such reasoning to sway their thoughts. Revan was a great hero. When rumors reached here that he had come back as a conquering Sith, no one believed the rumors. We are so far removed from the Republic that it was possible for such a large scale event to be downscaled once it reached here. These people remain ignorant because of their stubbornness. I, however, knew of Revan's plan from the beginning. I was his most loyal servant." He smirked. "Servant to a Sith Lord. Unfortunately, not one myself, Atton."

"What do you mean...?"

"Better to be a Sith Lord than ruler of such a small and frankly unpleasant colony."

"Why are these Jedi here in the first place," inquired Krystal. The stranger seemed to be much more affable now, now that Atton's tongue was under control. His aura emanated ease instead of control.

"Revan knew that if his crusade against the Republic failed, or if Malak turned against him, he would need somewhere to run to. That is the purpose of this colony. A hiding spot. However, Revan has disappeared. He hasn't visited this planet, which is very strange. I thought he might want to check on my well being..."

"Pretty haughty of you, thinking a Sith Lord would be concerned about you," stated Atton as dispassionately as Atton-ly possible.

"If you knew who I was, I might not appear so presumptive...."

"Who are you then?" Krystal was getting curious. This stranger seemed familiar. This familiarity had nothing to do with Revan though.

"I am Ajunta."

"_Ajunta?" _Atton stepped back a step. "Ajunta?! As in Ajunta Paul?!"

"Why, yes, I suppose."

"You are Ajunta Paul?" Krystal was taken aback. Ajunta Paul had been killed hundreds, thousands of years ago! He was the first Sith Lord to rise to power, the first Jedi to rebel against the Council.

"No, I am simply Ajunta. I was never given a second name."

"Who would have named you after a Sith Lord?"

"My mother, apparently."

"Who was your mother?"

"I don't like to talk about her." Ajunta had started squirming and his in-control aura started changing rapidly into discomfort. "She... was slightly insane."

"She would have to be, to name her son after a Sith Lord!" Atton yelled quite uncouthly.

"Atton!" Krystal yelped, praying that Ajunta wouldn't skewer him.

"That is not what made her insane, Atton, but she was insane nonetheless. Yet wise." Ajunta seemed distant and melancholy.

Ajunta looked up. He straightened up considerably and his face assumed that high and mighty expression. He tilted his head slightly and changed his voice so it was smooth and smug. "What do you want, Nalgor?"

"Forgive me Ajunta, you aren't done with the prisoners yet?" The beefy Nalgor had entered the hall and had his head bowed.

"No, I'm not done with them yet. I'm still interrogating them." Ajunta snapped his fingers and pointed to the door at the end of the hall. "Leave now, Nalgor."

"Of course, Ajunta." He turned to leave...

Then whirled around and Force jumped toward Ajunta.

Ajunta drew his orange lightsaber and leapt backwards as Nalgor sailed over Atton's head. Nalgor's booted foot hit Atton's shoulder. Atton yelped and crashed to the floor. He rolled backwards and groped for his lightsaber. He found it and back-flipped just in time to avoid a powerful swing from Nalgor. Nalgor raised his yellow double-bladed lightsaber and spun it in his hands while advancing on Atton and Krystal. Krystal reached for the Force and Force pushed Nalgor against Ajunta's throne. Ajunta was lying on the floor, unconscious, a lightsaber wound in his arm.

Krystal attempted to Force choke Nalgor, but he countered it by taking the Force energy waves and transforming the energy into electricity. The resulting shock came back to Krystal and electrocuted her. She fell to the floor, stunned.

Nalgor bared his filed teeth and growled, "And I'm left with the fool."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," he quipped as he activated his lightsaber, fervently wishing Ajunta or Krystal would _get up _for the Force's sake.

Forget the Force, for _his _sake.


	7. Chapter 6: Struggle

Chapter 6: Struggle

Slam!  
Atton cursed silently as he was slammed against one of the painted walls. _Why, WHY is it always me?!  
Why _was it always _himself _who had to deal with unruly bad guys? Why was he always left alone?

When he hit the floor he felt the Nalgor fellow using the Force to push him against the wall again. _Not this time, buddy. _

When Nalgor tried to shove Atton against the wall, Atton extended his feet and hit the wall feet first. Then he Force jumped off the wall and slammed into Nalgor's legs. Nalgor's legs were flipped from under him and his lightsaber went spinning away. It landed dangerously close to Ajunta's head.

Nalgor had flipped forward, but Atton had kept moving backward. Thus, Nalgor landed a few feet away from a scrambling Atton. Atton unnecessarily twirled his lightsaber and thought _OK this is better. Big, beefy guy on floor, Atton with lightsaber. _

He was feeling good about things until he felt a strange sensation around his neck. He didn't have much time to wonder what it was before the strange sensation became a choking sensation. He gasped as he was lifted off the floor by an invisible hand. Nalgor had gotten up and was grinning savagely at him. Atton dropped to the floor for just a second. Then Nalgor grabbed Atton's neck and slowly started to squeeze.

"This is so much more satisfying than Force Choke," he sneered, watching as Atton turned a light shade of purple. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you yet. I'm going to break every bone in your body first...."

He started to chuckle. His chuckle was cut short as a lightsaber neatly removed his head from his body. He dropped Atton and fell to the floor with a dense *thunk*. His head followed with a less dense *thunk*. Krystal stood in his place, grinning like an animalistic sadist, her hair standing on end due to the electricity. The scene was so barbaric, so insane, so.... funny that Atton had the craziest urge to laugh. Instead he started to.... of all the strange things.... he started to hiccup.

Krystal looked at him like he was a harebrained lunatic having a seizure . "By the Force...." was all she could say. Then she started to laugh.

Atton couldn't help laughing either. Whenever his laughs were interrupted by his hick-ups, the laughter began anew. Then they both cried.

After that interesting emotional fest, they wiped their eyes and sat down. "What started that anyway?" asked Krystal.

"Well _hic _you should have seen yourself _hic _after you killed Nal _hic. _You looked.... well...." Atton couldn't help thinking she looked kind of attractive like that. The thought made him chuckle. "You looked mad. Purely insane. I wish I had taken a holo-capture but," he rubbed his bruised neck, "I had other matters on my mind."

"I'm sure you did," mused Krystal.

"So what now?"

The door at the end of the hall opened. The pair, not wanting to be caught unawares again, shielded their minds and activated their lightsabers. The Jedi who had first greeted them and another non-Jedi walked in. The non-Jedi held a capable looking heavy repeater.

"Ah, sh..." Atton started.

"Shut up," whispered Krystal.

"What happened here?" asked the Jedi. "You killed them! You killed them both, Nalgor and Aunta! Kill them, guards!" When the Jedi rushed forward Krystal saw that there were four guards behind him, all carrying heavy repeaters with vibroblades at their sides. "Wait! We didn't..."

An electric shock grazed the pair's heads and struck the Jedi and his guards. They screamed and fell to the the floor, stunned. Krystal and Atton turned to see Ajunta standing tall, his left hand over his right arm, his right arm extended. "I knew this would happen sooner or later..."

Ajunta turned to us. "We must leave before my residents scrap your ship."

"Oh no, you're not coming with us," hissed Atton.

"If I don't come with you, then you're not leaving at all. I'll explain when we're safe, in space, but now there isn't time. We _must _get to the _Ebon Hawk_."

"Atton, I'm the leader here. We're letting him come."

Ajunta bowed his head.

"Thank you. Let me lead."

Ajunta led the way through the halls of the academy. It was reminiscent of Dantooine's peaceful Academy, but more cold, more sterile, and smaller. They managed to reach the outside without any problems. However, the resistance came when they reached the _'Hawk_.

"Ajunta, going somewhere?" A tall Jedi asked. She had long pale hair and a red lightsaber in her hand. One eye was milky white, while the other was stark purple. Veins were clear on her face and her teeth were filed, like Nalgors. She wore a dark blue robe. She had four similarly dressed Jedi behind her.

"Dianee," Ajunta said menacingly. He ran his hand through his orange hair.

"I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten my name," she said smoothly. "You knew this was coming. Now you put your lot in with strangers because your own people have lost faith in you. How... pathetic." She smiled. It resembled the grin of a sun bleached skull with filed teeth.

"Dianee, you can't win. These strangers are strong, as am I." Ajunta stood tensely, his lightsaber resting loosely in his hand, activated.

"You're about as strong as your mother. And you know what happened to her," Dianee sneered. "Can you bear to walk your mother's path?"

"I will _not _walk her path!" said Ajunta. He was clearly in distress.

"Ha! No, you won't, because you will die here." Dianee raised her hand and released bolts of energy. The bolts struck Atton, Ajunta, and Krystal. They felt themselves become fatigued while Dianee grew visibly stronger.

"I am _royally _sick of this!" yelled Atton. He grabbed a plasma grenade from a bag at his side and threw it at the Jedi.

None of them survived.

Krystal glared at Atton. "Cheapskate."

"Whatever keeps us alive."


	8. Chapter 7: Revelation

Chapter 7: Revelation

"Do we have to worry about air resistance?" Atton, who was a better pilot than Krystal, asked Ajunta. The droids had shut down while Atton and Krystal had been on the planet, and in their haste they hadn't booted up the droids. Thus, the task of flying the ship fell to Atton.

"No. Revan did not leave us with any sort of space crafts."

"Good. The inertial dampeners and the artificial gravity generators are still in need of repair."

"Krystal, could you see if T3 has any planets programmed into his system that are around here?"

"Sure. He's in the hyperdrive room. Ajunta! Go get some rest in the western quarters. I'll have some questions for you later." There was no answer. "Ajunta?"

Ajunta was slumped against one of the walls of the _Hawk_, asleep.

"He looks fine where he is," said Atton. "So does this mean I get to keep my quarters?"

Krystal rolled her eyes and glanced at the navi-computer. There were several planets in the vicinity of the _'Hawk._ Krystal smiled. T3 was a very useful droid.

"He's already programmed several planet's positions and descriptions into the computer."

"Wait, why are we outside of the Rim again?"

Krystal took in a breath to answer, then stopped. She never really thought about it. At the final battle between herself and Traya, Traya suggested she go to the Outer Rim to 'follow Revan's path'. Krystal took the advice without really knowing why she did. Now that Atton asked, she consciously realized she had no real idea why she was traveling beyond the Republic.

"I... don't really know," was the only answer she could muster up.

"Well, until you figure it out, why don't we stay within Republic boundaries? At least there we can count on some sort of structure."

She always felt she shouldn't go back into Republic space. It was if she was in a dark wood, and there was a golden plain just outside of her reach, but some force kept pushing her back, back into the dark wood.

Krystal sighed inwardly. She had always assumed 'following Revan's path' meant actually finding Revan physically. Atton, who had run away from Revan earlier, would not be thrilled at the prospect. He might leave.

Krystal was surprised that she even cared that Atton might leave. Now that she thought about the prospect of Atton leaving, however... she realized she didn't want him to leave. For all his smart mouthing, for all his complaining, he had become a regular figure in her life, a figure who broke up the monotony of searching for someone across such a large space. The only reason that she had insisted the first time, when all her other organic companions left her, was because she knew he wouldn't leave. Now, however....

She rubbed her eyes and looked at Atton. She realized she had just been standing there, staring at the navi-computer while thinking about why she didn't want to go to Republic space. Atton had his head tilted slightly to the side, a puzzled look on his face. "Look, I've looked at a lot of navi-computers, and _none _of them are very interesting, What's on your mind?"

Krystal took a deep breath. She couldn't allow Atton to travel with her under false pretenses. If they ever did find Revan, Atton's feelings toward Revan would cause surprised contention that she didn't want. She would have to tell Atton... and hope he wouldn't leave. "I feel like I have to find Revan."

"What? Did I hear your right? _Find Revan?_ Have you been chewing on spice? _Find a Dark Lord?!_"

"Yes."

"_Why?!"_

Krystal was about to say 'something Kreia said', then realized Atton's vehemence on the topic would increase greatly if she mentioned she was doing so because of what Kreia, Darth Traya, a Dark Lord and a personal nemesis of Atton's, said.

"Something Mical the Disciple said," Krystal improvised. One of her companions had been a historian/scientist working for the Republic who had been studying some of Revan's moves, some of his patterns. "Mical said that Revan was going to unite the galaxy against a greater threat. That greater threat _might _have been Darth Nihilus, and it _might _have been Darth Sion and his Sith Assassins, but what if it was something else entirely? It would be our duty to warn the Republic."

"You sure that you aren't doing this because of something _she _said?"

Krystal winced at his perceptiveness. "What she said did corroborate with Mical's theories."

"I'm not following your logic here. 'This Sith Lord told me to go and find this Sith Lord, so I should do what the first Sith Lord told me to do and go find this Sith Lord.' That sounds bad enough if you don't plug the names into 'Sith Lord'. You plug in 'Traya' and 'Revan' and it sounds even worse."

"Who said Revan was a Sith Lord?"

Atton and Krystal turned to see Ajunta leaning easily against the _Hawk's _walls. "Technically, Revan, doesn't fit the description of Sith Lord."

"You're joking, right?" Atton jeered.

"No. A Sith Lord is someone who commands the dark side of the Force against the Jedi Council's wishes and uses that power for his own benefit."

"What part of that doesn't fit Revan?"

"He didn't use the power for his own benefit."

"What part of galactic domination doesn't scream me, me, me, and me?"

"The fact that Revan never wanted to rule the galaxy for power's sake, but for the Republic's sake. After the Mandalorian Wars, the Republic was weak, fragile. An attack from an enemy not so well meaning would destroy the Republic. Revan knew this when he entered the Mandalorian Wars. He knew that the Republic would need a strong ruler, a strong hand to keep the Republic together. He was that strong ruler. He needed to unify the galaxy against a threat greater than the Mandalorians."

"Which was...?"

"At first, I thought it was the Dark Trio: Darth Traya, Darth Sion, and Darth Nihilus, a coalition of Sith Lords that Revan told me about. Now... I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"When Revan came back as a conquering force, he didn't immediately go and destroy Malachor, the base for the Dark Trio's actions. That place is an icon of the Dark Side, like Korriban. It would be a perfect place for them to reside. Instead, Revan started immediately attacking strategic planets, assassinating leaders whose roles he would replace. He did not focus on the Dark Trio.

" It was a fairly simple strategy, but what he had to do was make it abundantly clear that he was _not _going to be defeated. Once he made that fact apparent, the Republic would surrender and Revan would be able to unify the galaxy against the greater threat. Problem is, Revan never confided to anyone what that threat is or was. When his bumbling apprentice, Malak, completely eradicated any sort of reconstruction plans he might have had for the Republic, what would Revan have done? He would have probably gone directly to that threat and try to do as much damage to it as possible. I would have thought, however, that he would have come to my colony first."

"Probably." Krystal closed her eyes and listened to the peaceful hum of the hyperdrive. "You keep giving these hints that you're someone important. Who are you?"

"It's not who _I _am, it's who my mother was."

"Who was your mother?"

"My mother was.... complicated. I was seventeen when I entered the Mandalorian Wars, and I was nineteen when Revan assigned me the task of keeping the colony. My mother was a Jedi Master, and we cut off all physical communications when I was about twelve to keep the Jedi from finding out about me. But in that time I never knew her well."

"She knew Revan before the Mandalorian Wars were even hinted at. They were very, very close friends. She was actually one of Revan's teachers, but Revan had many, many teachers. She, along with a few other Masters, left after the Mandalorian Wars started. She didn't leave to fight, but to meditate, to contemplate away from the strict guidelines of the Jedi. After that, I have no idea what happened to her. However, I do know that because my mother was a close friend of Revan's, that I was expected to follow Revan. I did... follow Revan, that is, and at the end of the war was given the task of keeping a colony where he could fall back to."

"Who was your father?"

"My father was a Jedi, who died before I ever knew him. I know he and mother had to keep the affair secret though, because such bonds aren't allowed in the Jedi Order. Ultimately, I think it was the fact that Jedi weren't allowed to feel anything at all that led my mother to abandon the Jedi Order. How could love be harmful? She realized other flaws in the Order. She tried to subtly change the Order through subterfuge, but when the Mandalorian Wars came and the Jedi still didn't do anything, she had enough and left."

"How did you know all this even though you broke off ties with her before the Mandalorian Wars?"

"Although the constant threat of the Jedi finding out kept us apart physically, we had.... friends... who were willing to tell me what my mother was doing."

"What was your mother's name?"

"It wouldn't mean anything to you. Her name has long been forgotten exempt among those who despised her... and the few who loved her."

"What was her name anyway?"

Ajunta sighed. "Kreia."


	9. Chapter 8: Vengeance

Chapter 8

The gravel crunched beneath his boots. He felt the slight wind upon his face. He could feel the contours of the Force around him, painting a picture more vivid than any pigment could create. The picture told of betrayal, blood.

Revan looked at the curious singe marks on the landing pad. They were those made by plasma grenades: the Mandalorians used plasma grenades often, and their singe marks were hard to mistake. There was a dense, completely black circle in the middle with a corona of gray lines around it. Revan knelt behind his small craft, closed his eyes, and entered into a state of hasty meditation. He couldn't feel Ajunta's presence, and there was a strong Dark Side aura around the planet. It emanated from one single point. The feel reminded Revan of Malak: Brutal and merciless, but obvious and dominating, not subtle.

He stood and grabbed his lightsaber from his Jedi robe. There had been blood spilled recently, perhaps even that very hour.

If the colonists had rebelled, even more blood would be spilled.

And he would be the spiller.

He looked toward the Academy, where the concentration of dark energies was the highest. Whoever led the rebellion, if indeed there was a rebellion, was probably the source of the strong dark energies he was feeling. He ran toward the Academy, using Force speed to swiftly navigate the empty streets. When he reached the Academy, he could hear the sound of distant triumphant shouting. He activated his handy stealth field generator and crept through the open doors of the Academy.

"...and finally, the foolish, weak Ajunta has been dispelled! We shall build a great ship using the materials at our disposal, and we shall find Revan, and we shall kill him for leaving us here, for denying us a part in his crusade! Yes, my brothers and sisters, it is true! Revan led a crusade, a great crusade, and left _us, _his most loyal Jedi, behind! We should not be appalled that he went to war, but that he did not take us with him. Ajunta was a tool of Revan's, and he has been destroyed. Now on to Revan himself! If you will follow me, brothers and sisters, spill your own blood on this altar, and join me in my quest for vengeance!"

The new Lord of RimColony, Dianee, smiled as a great cry rose up from the Jedi of the settlement. It was a pity her best Jedi had been killed in the plasma grenade explosion, but at least she had managed to preserve herself using the Force Barrier technique. No one needed to know Ajunta was still alive, if gone from the colony. They only needed to know that he was gone, and Dianee, his second in command, was leader. That the apprentice had betrayed the master.

Dianee understood why Revan had left them on that djarek board of a planet, but that didn't matter. She just needed an excuse to rally the people to her cause. Numerous ships had crashed on the planet throughout the years when they were unexpectedly caught in one of the sudden meteor showers that frequented the area. It was with these ship parts that she, along with her new followers, would build a ship proficient enough to fly away from the planet they had been dumped on and begin a crusade similar to the one that the Mandalorians had embarked on.

_There _has_ been a rebellion,_ thought Revan grimly. He should have come sooner, but he had some matters he had had to take care of first: he had had to go to Korriban and Malachor and other likely spots to find his Master, Kreia. The only reason he no longer searched for her was because Revan felt when she had died and when she had become one with the Force.

Revan creeped around the edge of the pavilion as Jedi after Jedi stood upon a smooth, decorated rock and cut themselves across the palm with an ornate knife, letting their blood consecrate the make-shift Sith altar, and thus swearing an irreversible vow to whoever shed their blood on the altar first. It was an ancient Sith custom: the bonding of brothers through cause and blood.

Revan reached the podium where Dianee was speaking. The Jedi who had already blood-sworn themselves to her were kneeling in a circle around the podium. Revan counted around thirty Jedi, eight who were already sworn to Dianee. The others, he felt, were around the perimeter of the Academy. He wondered briefly how to go about this. Most of the Jedi weren't that strong, but Dianee was stronger than the others. Revan managed to control his aura, but he didn't know for how much longer he could. It was accomplished by thinking as little as possible and by slowing heart rate and other functions of the body. In this state your aura was at a minimum, but not totally undetectable. If Dianee sensed an out of place aura and focused on it, she'd realize Revan was there. The best chance Revan had would be to assassinate Dianee as quickly as possible then use speed to get out of the open courtyard and into a narrower area where he could more easily fend off the Jedi. He knew, however, that he would probably be forced to fight in the courtyard. Even after the leader of the blood oath was killed, his followers were still bound to avenge him, or in this case, her. And Revan had to no way to make the others swear loyalty to him.

Thus, Revan had to act quickly. He steadied himself behind the circle of Jedi and prepared to leap toward Dianee with his saber activated to deliver the killing blow. He waited until another Jedi picked up the ceremonial knife. Dianee's attention would be focused mostly upon that Jedi at that time.

When the next Jedi in line picked up the knife, Revan leapt into the air and activated his lightsaber. Still stealthed he fell upon Dianee and severed her head. He leapt off the podium and landed behind the circle of bewildered betrayers. The Jedi who was about to consecrate the altar dropped his knife and drew his lightsaber. Revan unleashed a powerful, deadly bolt of electricity at the people who had already sworn themselves to Dianee. Of the eight, five died. The others managed to catch the energy on their lightsabers. That left about twenty-four Jedi to deal with.

Most of the Jedi were still fumbling to activate their lightsabers. Revan used Force speed to come after a cluster of people who didn't have their sabers activated and decapitated them all with a single deft, powerful stroke. That left nineteen Jedi. All of the Jedi were prepared for him now, but fear was heavy in the air. Revan twisted as a lightsaber whizzed past his shoulder and used the Force to snap the Jedi's neck. He was a fool to not protect himself against such simple killing technique.

He faced the Jedi who now faced him. There were seven in front, all with single bladed lightsabers. There were six behind them, most with either double-bladed lightsabers or wielding two lightsabers. The other Jedi were spread out around the perimeter of the courtyard. Revan felt one Jedi sneaking up behind him. He leapt backwards, using the Force to propel him upwards. He flew about a foot over the Jedi's head. When his feet hit the wall, he bounded back, twisting in midair so his feet were first. He feet hit the Jedi's head and snapped his neck. Revan landed assuredly then faced the line of Jedi. They hadn't moved. Revan wished he had a grenade. The Jedi around the perimeter were closing in. Revan closed his eyes and concentrated, kneeling on the floor. When the Jedi tightened the circle he stood up and released four bolts of energy. They struck the Jedi and removed some of their life force and brought that strength back to Revan. Revan, invigorated, rushed toward two of the Jedi that were encircling him and cut them down with immensely strong swings. He grabbed one of the Jedi's lightsabers in mid-air and spun on his heel, twirling the lightsabers in his hands to check their balance and turned to the remaining two who had been around the perimeter. They looked and felt strong. One had a double-bladed lightsaber. Revan could also feel about three Jedi break off from the main group. He was being flanked.

Revan threw one of the lightsabers toward one of the Jedi. The Jedi expectantly blocked the flying lightsaber. In doing that, though, he exposed his chest since Revan had thrown the saber low. Revan rushed at the Jedi and thrust his lightsaber through his chest, then slashed diagonally to block a swing from the other Jedi, causing blood to fly onto his face.

When their lightsabers met, they became engaged in a lightsaber lock. Meanwhile, two Jedi from the main mass were creeping up on Revan. Revan pressed even harder. When he felt the two Jedi almost close in, he quickly disengaged the lightsaber lock by shifting quickly to the side. The Jedi stumbled into his companion's lightsaber. The Jedi who had been locked with Revan threw his saber, which hit the other Jedi that had been stalking Revan. The remaining bewildered Jedi was easy to dispatch with a Force Shock.

Eleven Jedi to go.

Revan turned a grinned wolfishly at the remaining Jedi. He looked like a demon from hell, with blood smeared across his face and splattered on his clothes, his hair sticking on end. Two of the Jedi yelped and ran out of the Academy. Revan used Force Stasis on them to keep them from moving. Then he leapt over to them and dispatched the helpless Jedi.

He turned to the remaining nine Jedi. "You were fools to defy me," he snarled. "Why did you follow Dianee and not follow Ajunta?"

"Dianee told us of how you left us here and went on a crusade against the Republic. We didn't believe the rumors, but how could we deny the word of our own? You left us here, Revan. You wouldn't let us join you. You betrayed us."

"_I _betrayed _you_? By leaving you here so that if my crusade failed, I would have a place to fall back to? That is betrayal?"

"Yes... ah..." The lead Jedi stammered. Dianee had made the prospect sound so rousing. Now that he had to answer the question of why Revan's actions were betrayal, he couldn't come up with an answer. He stammered some more then closed his mouth. "We were tired of..."

"So you mutiny? Because life gets boring, you mutiny to provide some entertainment?" Revan's voice was quiet, slow, controlled... and all the more deadly because of it.

"I... ah...."

Revan held out his hand and choked the lead Jedi until his eyes bulged. Revan tilted his head and said, "Oh yes, you had your fun. Now it's time for you to pay for it." He threw the Jedi back into his companions. Revan took control of the lightsaber that the lead Jedi had dropped and used it to kill three more Jedi. The remaining five attacked with several Force powers, but Revan easily countered them. Then he started to slowly walk toward them. Two of the Jedi leapt toward him at the same time. Revan jumped back gracefully. The Jedi tripped over each other's feet and Revan easily killed them with a single swipe. He turned toward the three. They were babbling, begging for mercy, and not protecting their minds. Revan didn't feel like playing games and just shocked them to death. He looted the bodies for anything useful. He found some credits, lightsabers, and lightsaber crystals. He took all of the credits and lightsaber crystals, but didn't take any of the lightsabers. He believed that some of a Jedi's soul was imparted into his lightsaber, and it should only be changed if the wielder changed radically. Even if a Revan's lightsaber broke, Revan would rather wield a vibroblade than a lightsaber that was not his own. He would temporarily wield a lightsaber that was not his own, but not permantly.

Revan sighed. This colony had been such a useful idea. He went straight to his ship and didn't bother to hunt down and kill the remaining soldiers.


	10. Chapter 9: Reforging

Chapter 9:

"You Core-Slime! You've been _lying _to us this whole time!" Atton's rage was so apparent that the Force reflected his feelings as a maelstrom of hate.

"Wha....?" Ajunta tried to speak through Atton's iron choke hold.

"Atton!" screamed Krystal. "Let him go!"

"NO! This son of a Hutt is Kreia's son! If I let him go he'll slaughter us all!"

"If that is true why did he tell us who his mother was?!"

"You heard him. He was sure the name would mean nothing to us, but it means a lot to us... a whole bloody lot!" Ajunta's face was turning a deep shade of purple.

"By all that's holy and sinful...!" Krystal grabbed Atton and yanked him away from Ajunta. Atton could have held on if he wished, but the unexpectedness of Krystal's actions caused Atton to release him. Krystal then wrenched Atton to the wall and held him there with a sustained variation of Force Push.

"When you calm _down_, I'll let you go." Krystal walked over to Ajunta, who was almost unconscious and very limp.

"For the love of..." Krystal started massaging the pressure points near Ajunta's neck. His face turned its normal color and his eyes opened. "I... I am sorry," Ajunta stammered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Krystal attempted to placate Ajunta. She was sure he could kill them both if he wanted, so it seemed necessary to make him realize that she, at least, wasn't going to try to break his neck.

"I assume you knew my mother?"

"Sith's blood, _know her?!_" Atton roared.

"ATTON!" Krystal had enough and turned to him. "If you don't calm down right now, I will be forced to knock you unconscious."

Atton's heavy, rapid breathing slowed and Krystal watched as he attempted to use some of the meditative exercises Krystal had taught him: slow blinking, steady breathing, relaxation of your muscles. When he opened his eyes he seemed calmer.

"All right." Krystal released Atton.

"Now, can we please talk like civilized people?" Ajunta tried to be humorous but failed dismally.

"Atton, unless you're going to apologize, don't say anything. Now," Krystal inclined her head toward Ajunta, "We knew your mother quite well. Atton disliked her quite a lot, not only because she was a Sith Lord but because she manipulated him and was often cruel to him as well as the others accompanying us. She also tried to make me come to the Dark Side. For that, Atton truly disliked her."

"Don't you think _hate _would be a better word?" Atton was still seething, but his anger was less apparent.

"Well..."

"Wait, did you say my mother was a _Sith Lord_?"

"Why yes..." Krystal realized that poor Ajunta didn't know anything about his mother after she left for the Mandalorian Wars, and Kreia turned into Traya after the Mandalorian Wars. "Oh my. Ajunta I'm so sorry... you didn't know."

"My... mother...." Ajunta collapsed into a heap and started weeping. It was if his bravado just melted away like a snowball on Tatooine revealing who he really was: a person, abonded by his only family member, who harbored multiple emotions inside, most of those revolving around a central point of confusion and a desire to be _something_. When he realized who his mother really was, a part of that confusion was replaced with a wrenching anguish that controlled everything else, thus reducing him to a pile of weeping flesh.

At that moment, Krystal wrapped her arms around the weeping Ajunta and they rocked slowly together. Even Atton was stunned by Ajunta's display. He awkwardly attempted to console Ajunta with a pat on the head, but Ajunta didn't seem to notice.

After about seven minutes, Ajunta pried himself from Krystal's caring arms and wiped his face. His shoulders still shook.

"Ajunta, are you OK?" Surprisingly, it was Atton who said this.

"I'm... no, I'm not. Imagine, you find out that the only family you have is a Sith Lord. I just.... reacted." He straightened up with abrupt fashion and stared Atton dead in the eyes, all previous signs of grief gone. Curious, for the next words that came out of his mouth seemed cold, heartless, and utterly uncaring. "She's dead, isn't she? If so, she deserves her fate." He had consulted Atton so that he wouldn't get pity, consolation. He felt Atton would state the facts, so that Ajunta could make of them what he would.

"Yes," said Atton. It was unclear if he was simply answering the question, or answering the question and agreeing with Ajunta at the same time.

"How did it happen?" asked Ajunta.

Krystal looked at her feet and shuffled. "Oh, by the force Ajunta, I'm so sorry..."

"You killed her, didn't you Krystal?" His voice was soft and controlled, on the verge of breaking but not there yet.

"I.... Ajunta, I..."

"Why did you kill her? I'm not asking because I doubt your reasons, but... Krystal, you must understand, I am grateful for you saving me, but I barely know you. Now I find out you killed my mother.... By the Force, I don't know..." Krystal thought he would cry again, but he just stood there. Among those who had saved him, one killed his mother and the other now hated him simply because of his lineage.

"She.... wanted me to."

"What!" Ajunta started breathing slowly and I saw he was struggling to control all of his emotions. "Why would she want that? Now my mother is a suicidal Sith Lord?"

"I was her student, or she considered me such. As such, I would have to eventually surpass her or die, according to her ideologies. At that final battle, she wanted to die, because that would mean I had won, which means I would have surpassed her and she would have succeeded in something. Also... she considered me beautiful because in her eyes, I am the end of the Force."

"End of the Force? How so?"

Krystal explained everything right there to an almost complete stranger. The call to war, Malachor, her Exile, her wanderings, Kreia's teachings, a deeper sypnosis of Atton and Kreia's relations, her return to Malachor. of everything. At the end of the long tale, Atton had completely 'cooled down', and Ajnta was officially stunned.

"So all that time, my mother... was with you? Trying to subvert you to be the end of the Force? To teach you to use your power for evil?"

"After the Jedi Civil Wars, yes."

"It is appropriate, then, that I stay with you and make up for my mother's evils."

"You don't have to make up for anything," said Atton. Whether he was subtly telling Ajunta to leave or really offering sympathy was unclear.

"No, I think I do. I'd rather you and others remember my lineage fondly. That seems quite impossible if all you and others remember of my lineage is my mother."

"Ajunta, you are _not _your mother. You are your own person. Make an identity for yourself that seperates yourself from her."

"That is what I will do, Krystal. I will forge my own name!"

End of Book 1

OK, I know, wierd ending, but if I kept going Book 1 would be extremely long, because after this I can't think of any logical ending places that would come soon. Book 2 will start off maybe a day after this, butt the perspective will shift to Ajunta, casting a much different light on the story.

I'd love FEEDBACK!


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